Verified answer

both are bad. there are a million better places in SF to eat. why would you choose these 2?

At both Lori's and Mel's, I'd stick to the basics. Burgers, fried chicken, and milkshakes are usually fine.

You go to diners because they're convenient and informal. They're also open late at night. The four Mel's in San Francisco are usually open until 3-4 AM (24 hours on weekends). While the nine Lori's have a wide variety of closing times. The ones at the airport and Mason Street never close...ever. But the Ghirardelli Square location shuts down at 9-10 PM, which is very early for a diner

In truth, they're very similar. Mel's is a little less touristy. So, if I had to go to a diner for breakfast or lunch, that's probably the tie-breaker. At 2 AM, there are no tourists out anyway. So, I'd go for whichever I happen to see first.

My husband and I had delicious banana splits at Lori's Diner in Union Square in July.

Mel's has a larger menu, their malts are great, and you get to play the jukebox right from your table (although sometimes it takes a good long time for your selection to come up). Otherwise, they both offer basic diner food.

I would say that Mel's is a little more (not less) touristy, and Lori's (not Mel's) has the wider menu (but not at the airport.) But neither one is either bad, nor great.

If you are looking for good food for breakfast try Sear's Fine Food on Powell Street,

lories makes really insanely good corned beef hash